A3 + PLUS >> The men who saved the world, Opinion/4A LOCAL BASEBALL Century’s 2 locals taken celebration in MLB draft See Page 6A See Page 1B THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM PETER CARROLL/AP PHOTO Three local men who changed history CARL MCKINNEY/LCR COURTESY PHOTOS CARL MCKINNEY/LCR Carlos Crews with plaque commemorating service. Art Butler and his Legion of Honor medal. Lionel Capoldo with wartime photos. Their roles varied, but each was instrumental in his own way to the success of the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare, 75 years ago today. Read about them on 2A. AP PHOTO TOP: Under the cover of naval shell fire, American infantrymen wade ashore from their landing craft during the initial Normandy landing operations in France, June 6, 1944. ABOVE: Men and assault vehicles storm Normandy Beach, as allied landing craft arrive at their destination on D-Day, 75 years ago today. Vol. 145, No. 60 CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Obituaries . 3A Calendar . 5A COMMUNITY CALENDAR SUBSCRIBE TO Sports . 1B Big weekend of events ahead, 5A THE REPORTER: 91 71 Voice: 755-5445 Advice & Comics . 3B Fax: 752-9400 Scattered storms 2A THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER 75th anniversary of D-DAY QUICK HITS Scripture of the Day “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and Three local heroes edify one another, even as also ye do.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (KJV) kept American planes in al training in California, barrage of gunfire from By CARL MCKINNEY the sky by repairing propel- Crews was sent to an air- below deck. [email protected] lers and engines of aircraft base in Indiana. Capoldo, who grew up Thought for Today such as the Republic P-47 “Planes were taking off in and around Hartford, The medals shone as if Thunderbolt. all the time to go overseas,” Connecticut, and now lives brand new. Even a young Principles have no real force except when one is After one year, 10 he said. in Lake City, enlisted in girl could tell they meant well-fed. — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), 1835- months and four days over- By the time Allied forces the Navy after his 17th something. 1910, U.S. writer seas, Art Butler returned launched the D-Day inva- birthday. He made the deci- When Rachel Butler home by ship. sion, Crews was a crew sion based on advice from first saw the relics in a box Listening to her grand- chief with 10 planes under a family friend, who had hanging over her grand- father’s stories made him Winning Lottery Numbers father’s recliner, a million seem larger than life, questions popped into her Pick 3: (Tuesday p.m.) 2-9-2 Rachel Butler said. mind. Pick 4: (Tuesday p.m.) 8-3-1-3 “I felt like if he could The invasion shaped the get through what he went Fantasy 5: (Tuesday) 2-3-7-23-36 modern world, and she got through, then all of my a first-hand account of the life’s worries seemed very part he played in it. small,” she said. “From there, I was really See an error? eager to know more about The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news his role in American histo- AIR SUPPORT items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will ry,” Butler said. It was a date which World War II veteran and would live in infamy, run in this space. Thanks for reading. Columbia County resident President Roosevelt told Art Butler, 102, was in hos- a grief-stricken nation the pice care Wednesday, the following day. Submissions eve of the 75th anniversary Carlos Crews was in The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption of D-Day. a Georgia hospital for a information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would As it remained uncertain tonsillectomy when news like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture whether her grandfather of the Pearl Harbor attack and information to Robert Bridges: rbridges@lakecityreporter. would make it through the reached him. com. night, Rachel Butler reflect- “I came home, got ready ed on his legacy. to go,” Crews said. CARL MCKINNEY/LCR “I’ve always been inter- At 99 years old, Crews’ Carlos Crews in his Lake City home. Lake City Reporter ested in his stories from a memory of the HOW TO REACH US BUSINESS ........... 754-0419 war is fuzzy. Main number ....... (386) 752-1293 his watch. been discharged from the CIRCULATION But his stepson, In the months before Army. Fax number ............ 752-9400 Circulation............. 755-5445 Charles, has Normandy, Crews boarded “He says it wasn’t very Home delivery of the Lake City Reporter heard all the Online .... www.lakecityreporter.com should be completed by 6:30 a.m. a C-47 transport aircraft comfortable in a foxhole,” The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate Tuesday through Friday, and by 7:30 stories before. bound for his first stop on Capoldo said. “In the Navy of Community Newspapers Inc., is a.m. on Sunday. The two sat the way to Europe. you had a bed to sleep in published Tuesday through Friday and Please call 386-755-5445 to report any Sunday at 180 E. Duval St., Lake City, problems with your delivery service. down in their “I couldn’t describe it, and your meals didn’t have FL 32055. Periodical postage paid at Lake City home you’re on your way to a sand in them.” Lake City, FL, Member Audit Bureau of In Columbia County, customers should to recount the battle zone — I’m talking Capoldo’s mother went Circulation and The Associated Press. call before 10:30 a.m. to report a events that All material herein is property of the service error for same day re-delivery. about the real McCoy — with him to a recruiting Lake City Reporter. Reproduction in After 10:30 a.m., next day re-delivery brought Crews where you had no authority station. whole or in part is forbidden without or service related credits will be issued. to England to of any kind,” he said. Boot camp was in Rhode the permission of the publisher. In all other counties where home delivery U.S. Postal Service No. 310-880. support the After stops in Florida, Island. is available, next day re-delivery or POSTMASTER: Send address changes service related credits will be issued. D-Day invasion the Caribbean and Africa, “The only thing that I to Lake City Reporter, P.O. Box 1709, on the other Lake City, FL 32056. Circulation............. 755-5445 Crews arrived in a small can remember that’s really ([email protected]) side of the English town. vivid in my mind is when Publisher Todd Wilson ... 754-0418 channel two “Can’t even remember they taught us to row a ([email protected]) Home delivery rates (Tuesday–Friday and Sunday) and a half years the name of it,” he said. boat, and the boat was tied NEWS later. 4 Weeks . $10.70 The invasion was two or up to the pier,” he said. Editor Robert Bridges ... 754-0428 12 Weeks . $31.67 Crews, born three months away. “The oars had big holes in ([email protected]) 24 Weeks . .$54.14 and raised 52 Weeks . .$88.81 “Finally came that day,” them. I didn’t know what ADVERTISING in Folkston, Rates include 7% sales tax. Crews said. “We knew they were at the time, but Ad. Dir. Chris Ratliff ..... 754-0417 Georgia, grad- ([email protected]) Mail rates COURTESY something was going I now know that they were uated high to happen because we to reduce friction. They 12 Weeks . $41.40 Art Butler during wartime. school in 1939. CLASSIFIED 24 Weeks . .$82.80 got orders to put stripes To place a classified ad ... 755-5440 52 Weeks . .$179.40 After Pearl around the planes.” D-DAY continued on 3A young age,” she said. Harbor, Crews kept his Rain poured down as Her grandfather never bags packed. Crews painted the aircraft went into vivid detail about “I knew I was on the to mark them as part of the THE WEATHER his time overseas, Rachel list,” he said. “We were invasion. Butler said. There were the right age then, and we The first batch of planes no detailed blow-by-blows Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon were all expecting it.” left early in the morning. 6 7 8 9 10 about bullets flying past his His older brother got “I didn’t go on that flight, Scattered Isolated Scattered Scattered Scattered head or bombs bursting called up soon after Pearl but I could hear those T-⁠storms T-⁠storms T-⁠storms T-⁠storms T-⁠storms in air, leaving her to fill in Harbor. engines to this day,” Crews some of the gaps with her In June 1942, it was said. imagination. Crews’ turn. A constant flow of air- “He didn’t talk in detail HI 91 LO 71 HI 87 LO 72 HI 86 LO 70 HI 89 LO 72 HI 87 LO 71 On a train to Atlanta, craft carried soldiers and about this,” she said. “I Crews met the son of his supplies to the front before think those were probably hometown’s mayor. circling back to England difficult memories to bring REGIONAL FORECAST MAP for Thursday, Jun. 6 Once in the city, they for maintenance and fuel Thursday's highs/Thursday night's low up, so his stories were waited on the side of a hill between runs.